The Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday that a third candy maker has recalled caramel apples that could be contaminated with the food poisoning bacteria Listeria.

The Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday that a third candy maker has recalled caramel apples that could be contaminated with the food poisoning bacteria Listeria.

Eileen FaustOf The Morning Call

Two more companies recall caramel apples after listeria outbreak in 10 states.

Two more companies are recalling prepackaged candied and caramel apples two weeks after a listeria outbreak that lead to the deaths of at least three people.

On Monday, the Food and Drug Administration distributed press releases from Merb's Candies of Missouri, which is voluntarily recalling its Bionic and Double Dipped candied apples, and from California Snack Foods, which is recalling Karm'l Dapples, because they could be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

Caramel and candied apples are the suspected link between 29 people sickened in 10 states and the Centers for Disease Control is recommending people do not purchase or consume any prepackaged candied apples from any manufacturer. Twenty of those who fell ill confirmed they consumed prepackaged candied or caramel apples in the month before they fell ill, the CDC said.

Five deaths potentially connected to the outbreak were initially reported. Three of those deaths were determined to have been caused by Listeria infection, one is under investigation, and the fifth person's cause of death was found unrelated to listeriosis, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Last week, the Happy Apples company of California recalled its prepackaged caramel apples for their potential to be contaminated with listeria. The items were sold in stores in 31 states including Pennsylvania.

Merb's Candies apples covered under the recall were sold mainly in the St. Louis area and through mail order and shipped nationally. The candied apples were sold in clear, burgundy and gold cellophane bags between Sept. 8 and Nov. 25.

California Snack Foods brand caramel apples have "best use by" dates of Aug. 15 to Nov. 28. They were sold in packs of one or three and the best use by date should be listed on the front of the package. They were distributed in Arizona, California, Nevada, Texas and Utah to grocery, discount and club stores, according to the press release.

Those who were sickened fell ill between Oct. 17 and Nov. 27, the CDC said. Nine cases involved pregnant women or newborns.

Listeria can be fatal if contracted by young children, the elderly and those with weak immune systems, the FDA and CDC warn. Listeria can also cause miscarriages or stillbirths in pregnant women. In healthy individuals, it will cause short-term illness including high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea.

Bidart Brothers of California, which supplied apples to California Snack Foods, Merb's and Happy Apples, is being investigated as the possible source of the listeria contamination. The apple supplier has also issued a recall of its products.

The production of candied and caramel apples by all three companies has already ceased and the products should no longer be sold in stores. However the CDC is advising anyone who may have purchased the apples or received them as gifts to dispose of them out of caution. The apples should be disposed of in a secure container to avoid contaminating animals, or returned to the place of purchase.